Typical computer systems, especially computer systems using graphical user interfaces (GUI) for user interaction, such as Microsoft WINDOWS® brand operating system, are optimized for accepting user input from one or more discrete input devices for entering text (such as a keyboard), and a pointing device (such as a mouse) with one or more buttons for activating user selections. Some computing systems have expanded the input systems available to a user by providing a pen-like stylus. Using a pressure sensitive overlay or an electronic digitizer, a computer display may be enhanced to accept interaction from a user by using the stylus. For example, one may write handwritten information (referred to as ink, and further discussed below) on the display, or interact with the display by selecting icons or objects with the stylus.
Handwritten information received into a computer may be used in a variety of ways. For example, the handwritten information may remain as only handwritten information. Also, the handwritten information may be processed by a handwriting recognition engine and the information replaced by text from the handwriting recognition engine. Finally, the handwritten information may remain displayed to a user and the results of the handwriting recognition engine associated with the handwritten information (being displayed in conjunction with the handwriting information or hidden from the user, but still being associated with the handwriting information). These capabilities are available in Microsoft's WINDOWS brand XP Tablet PC Edition operating system.
The additional capability of user input via pen has introduced new interaction problems for a user when attempting to input certain data. For example, a user may attempt to write “house” on a digitizer using the stylus, but the computer might recognize the input as “mouse.” The WINDOWS brand XP Tablet PC Edition provides a mechanism, referred to as the Text Input Panel, or TIP, through which a user can confirm that the computer recognizes the input as the user is writing the input on the digitizer. However, use of the TIP requires a user to open a separate window and might not always be convenient or desired depending on the application into which the user input will ultimately be placed, e.g., when the user is playing a word game. That is, if a user must use the TIP to confirm input while playing a game, the user's concentration or train of thought may often be disturbed, causing the user to have a less enjoyable game experience than if the user could confirm input directly through the game's user interface.
Thus, it would be an advancement in the art to provide a technique for inputting ink for use in word games where the user could confirm that handwritten ink input was correctly recognized by the computer. It would be a further advancement in the art to provide feedback to the user indicating whether the recognized value of the ink input is correct.